Since a substantial increase in lawsuits, settlements, jury trial awards, and insurance premiums involving nursing facilities began in the mid 1990s, addressing litigation has been a growing concern for the industry, consumers and their families, insurance carriers, and state and national elected officials. Curbing lawsuit growth has mirrored medical malpractice containment efforts, focusing on the addition of laws to inhibit litigation. The state of Florida initiated such tort reforms along with mandatory increased nursing facility staffing in 2001. Through secondary data analyses, this study examined the initial effects of Florida's tort reform measures. Lawsuits filed (N = 546) against any Hillsborough County nursing facility (N = 33) from 1999 through 2003 were reviewed. One-way analyses of variance and two-way contingency tables were used to identify variations in the elements, extent, and outcome of lawsuits between pre and post tort reform periods. Based on nursing facility admission dates, post tort reform lawsuits exhibited multiple significant changes. Lawsuits filed per month dropped to 14% of pre reform monthly filings. On average, lawsuits were associated with shorter residencies, were filed earlier, and settled six months sooner. They were less apt to include combined wrongful death and negligence survival damage claims, charges intentionally addressed by reform measures in order to eliminate double damage claims. Other lawsuit charges increased, e.g., lethal negligence and breach of fiduciary duty. Mediation was less likely and arbitration attempts more likely to be documented in lawsuits. Mean somatic allegations did not change significantly. Staff-related allegations decreased 21.5% to 8.51 per lawsuit, with 12 out of 22 staff-related allegations decreasing significantly. On average, settlement proposals, total settlements, and attorney fees decreased to 40% and net plaintiff awards to 25% of pre reform amounts. Overall, it appears that 2001 tort reform impacted post reform litigation substantially. However, further research examining a larger post reform lawsuit sample and longer post reform period is required to verify that research findings are stable and reflect sustained changes. Other factors, e.g., decreased nursing facility professional liability insurance coverage, may have affected the numbers and characteristics of lawsuits filed and require further investigation as well.

This study is an initial attempt to assemble a dual history of the topics of informal settlements and sustainability within architectural discourse over the past fifty years. During the 1960s and 1970s, architecture adopted a renewed sense of social immediacy, which increased the study into informal and slum settlements, as well as a burgeoning concern of its own ecological impact, which encouraged investigation into sustainable design. While these interests all but disappeared amidst the artistic and political climate of the 1980s, they have again become relevant to architectural discourse, albeit as separate entities. The aim of this study is to unite these two discussions within architecture so that they may together become more potent. / text

No description available.

This study is an investigation of the constraints and opportunities in the implementation of the Slums Clearance Programme in the Ethekwini Metropolitan Area (EMA). It embraces a case study method and, as such, uses Quarry Road West Informal Settlement, Welbadagt West and Urnzomuhle Parkgate Relocation Areas. Furthermore, the study has an endeavour to uncover the factors that influence the formation and increase of informal settlements within the city. To realise this fundamental objective, questionnaire surveys (including socioeconomic information) of the beneficiaries and interviews with the Metro Council Officials and others were employed in areas used as case studies to gather as much data as possible regarding the constraints and opportunities of this programme. It has become explicitly clear, moreover, that the majority of people living in the three case studies came from areas outside Durban for employment opportunities. Due to the fact that they were unemployed at the time of this research project and were still looking for jobs, they stated that they had no option but to live in the informal settlements closer to the city to minimise travelling costs. Apparently, some of these informal settlements are located closer to high-risk areas such as flood lines, dumping sites and so on, as a consequence of this, the National Department of Housing in conjunction with the Ethekwini Municipality (Metro Housing Department), are in the process of implementing the Slums Clearance Programme in order, according these bodies to respond to such situation. The Slums Clearance Programme, which basically involves upgrading and relocating the affected informal settlements, is analysed in the light of the past and contemporary experiences within the context of developing countries to broaden the horizons of this project. A relevant theoretical framework and literature review is presented as a support for the study and to put it in a relevant perspective. The results based on the hypothesis indicate that although the Slums Clearance Programme is in deed, at face value, an appropriate response to dealing with the affected informal settlements, it fails to meet the basic needs of the beneficiaries. Such basic needs include, among other things, access to employment opportunities, access to public facilities such as health care, education and others. One of the recommendations highlighted in this study is that holistic development approach should be emphasised to avoid the marginalisation of the project beneficiaries. In conclusion, some of the major challenges when implementing the programme have been mentioned, which include among other things, beneficiaries high unemployment rate, excessive distances between areas of economic opportunities and places of residence and lack of holistic development approach in the implementation of the programme. / Thesis (M.T.R.P.)-University of Natal, 2003.

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.T.R.P.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2002.

Over the past decade the construction of shacks on fonnally developed residential sites within the predominantly african residential townships of South Africa have been increasing in number. These infonnal structures have become commonly known as backyard shacks and have been constructed, mainly by the urban poor, in response, inter-alia, to the restrictions and difficulties placed upon them by the policies of the past government, in respect to access to land and housing. Research on this housing option is limited and has unfortunately either concentrated on quantifying the extent of the development or has been overshadowed by investigation and debate on other methods of infonnal housing. Therefore this dissertation sets about, by reason of research in Umlazi (one of the largest, predominantly african townships within South Africa), to contextualise, identify and place firmly on the agenda, the issues and needs of the backyard shack residents. In support thereof, a review of the spatial development of backyard shacks over the past decade in Umlazi, is also provided. From this study it has then been possible to fonnulate recommendations for housing policy and town planning so as to address these issues and needs. With specific reference, as this dissertation recognises the extent of the housing crisis and the role that backyard shacks play in providing shelter for the urban poor within the urban centres of the country and hence the likely pennanency of this housing option; recommendations, including the densification of the urban centres as a means of providing land for housing, the fonnalisation of the backyard shack as a secondary dwelling unit, the re-defming of subsidies in relation thereto and the delivery of services, are put forward. / Thesis (M.T.R.P.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1996.

The majority of the people living with HIV in the North West Province are part of households living in an unfavourable economic situation (Kotze, Roux & Wessels 2001 :83). The AlDS pandemic has intensified their poverty situation even more, which is emphasized by Nattrass (2004:150) in the following statement: 'The AlDS pandemic is both a cause and effect of poverty.' Adding to this, the majority of the poverty-stricken people living with HIV in the Potchefstroom district do not feel supported after having been diagnosed HIV positive (Pienaar, 200455-58). Once there is a clearer understanding of how South Africans experience living with HIV. counsellors, nurses and other health care workers will be better equipped to meet the needs of these people (Coetzee & Spangenberg 2003:216). Therefore, guidelines that can serve as useful tools for professional nurses and other health care workers, including volunteers, who are working with poverty-stricken people living with HIV, were developed in this study in order to address the gap in the support during the HIV infection. The objective of this research was to explore the experience and to identify the support needs of poverty-stricken people living with HIV in the informal settlements in the Potchefstroom district and to formulate guidelines for effective support for poverty-stricken people living with HIV. A qualitative, phenomenological design was used which enabled the researcher to understand the way in which poverty-stricken people experience living with HIV and to identify their support needs. In-depth interviews, consisting of 24 one-to-one interviews and one focus group were conducted to obtain the data. The population studied in this research consisted of the poverty-stricken people living with HIV in the informal settlements in the Potchefstroom district in the North West Province, South Africa. Purposive sampling was used to select participants with the assistance of mediators who are working for the Non Governmental Organisations dealing with HIV and AlDS in the Potchefstroom district. The sample size was determined by data saturation, which was reached after 25 interviews. Data analysis was carried out simultaneously with data collection. In consensus discussions, the researcher and the co-coder reached consensus on the main and sub themes. From the research findings, six main themes were identified. The first two main themes are the facilitative and impeding experiences of poverty-stricken people living with HIV. The remaining four main themes include the needs of poverty-stricken people living with HIV, namely; basic needs, psycho-social needs, cultural-spiritual needs and self-actualisation needs. It could be concluded that the experience of poverty-stricken people living with HIV in the Potchefstroom district is closely related to their support needs. In order to address these needs holistically and to enhance the quality of life of poverty-stricken people living with HIV, the needs should firstly be addressed individually and according to culture. Following that, the collective needs can be addressed by a support system addressing basic, psychosocial, cultural-spiritual and selfactualisation needs for which an experiences and needs framework and guidelines were formulated. / Thesis (M.Cur.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

No description available.

The thesis consists of the following papers: (1) Tre ortnamn på Spöl-. (Tre Kulturer. 2. Medlemsbokför Johan Nordlander-sällskapet tillägnad minnet av Roland Otterbjörk 1925-1984. Umeå 1985. ISSN 0281-9546.) (2) Ortnamnen i Västerbottens län. Del 14, Vännäs kommun, A Bebyggelsenamn. Umeå 1986. ISBN 91-86372-10-6. (Övre Norrlands ortnamn. ISSN 0348-7237.) (3) Studier över yngre nybyggesnamn i Västerbottens län, särskilt i Vännäs socken. Umeå 1986. ISBN 91-7174-237-9. (Nordsvenska. 2. Skrifter utgivna av Institutionen för nordiska språk vid Umeå uni­versitet. ISSN 0282-7182.) The chief aim of the thesis is to describe and etymologize the habitative names in the parish of Vännäs in the county of Västerbotten, northern Sweden. The material used consists of place-name forms recorded in the local dialects. The material forms the basis of the author's hypotheses concerning sound changes and morphological changes and the original significance of the various place-names. The hypotheses have been tested by confronting them with historical data concerning the settlement of the area, with linguistic material, with parallel place-names and with topographical data. The purpose of the third paper is to draw further conclusions about the naming of the younger settlements (i.e. settlements from the 18th and the 19th centuries) in the county of Västerbotten as a whole. To shed light on this problem a large number of similar younger habitative names in the area have been examined. The main result of this study is that a number of the second elements of these names can be considered topographically non-motivated and suffixlike. Another result is that the interference from the authorities concerning the direct naming of the young settlements is pro­bably insignificant. / digitalisering@umu

Darbo tema „Šiaulių regiono gyvenviečių tinklas vėlyvajame geležies amžiuje“. Tyrimo tikslas – nustatyti intensyvaus naudojimo arealus Šiaulių apskrityje vėlyvajame geležies amžiuje ir hipotetiškai hierarchiškai juos sugrupuoti, t. y. pagal tam tikrus bruožus nustatyti, kurios regiono teritorijos tuo metu galėjo vadintis centrinėmis ekonominio ir karinio pajėgumo atžvilgiu, o kurios didesnės įtakos regionui neturėjo. Nors reikia pažymėti, kad regionas greičiausiai tuo metu dar nebuvo politiškai ir ekonomiškai organizuotas, tačiau centrinių teritorijų formavimosi procesas jau neabejotinai buvo vyko. Archaiškų bendruomenių gyvenviečių tinklui tirti visų pirma pasitelkiamas kartografinis tyrimo metodas, kuomet visi žinomi tyrinėjamo laikotarpio archeologiniai objektai, liudijantys gyvenvietės buvimą, yra sužymimi žemėlapyje, o vėliau išskiriamos jų sankaupos. Vėliau šių sankaupų sudedamos dalys nagrinėjamos pagal tam tikrus kriterijus (piliakalnių aukštis, kapų įkapių skaičius ir pan.), kurie atspindi ta vieta besinaudojusios bendruomenės pajėgumą. Tam visų pirma reikia sukurti šaltinių bazę ir ją susisteminti. / The topic is „The pattern of Šiauliai region settlements in Late Iron Age“. The aim is to exclude Šiauliai regions‘s habits of intensive use in Late Iron Age and hypothetically them hierarchically grouped. What means what according certain characteristics to determine which areas of the region at that time was called the central of economic and military strength and witch ones did not have significant impact on the region. Although should be noted that likely region of Šiauliai was not yet politically and economically orginized, but the process of central areas formation undoubtebly has been held. First of all, cartographic research method has been chosen for the investigation of the pattern of the settlements of archaic communities, when all known archeological objects of the period under investigation, demonstrating the presence of the settlement, are mapped on the map and later their accumulations are distinguished. Later the components of these accumulations are analysed according to certain criteria (height of the mounds, the number of cerements in graves and etc.), which reflect the capability of the community by which that place was used. But first of all it is necessary to develop the base of sources and to systematize it. In Lithuania this type of research has been introduced only recently thus their prospects are still large, as the base of sources is constantly being supplemented (new archeological objects are discovered and also previously found and known objects... [to full text]